1 . R . Eric McMaster : A Routine in Parts at Lawndale Art Center Austin-based artist Eric McMaster teaches at UT and manages the school ’ s digital fabrication lab . His work revolves around athletes : how they move , how they think , how they look in see-through uniforms . In his videos , athletes ’ normal activity has somehow been disrupted : a skater performs without his pairs partner ; hockey teams play in a comically small ring ; a gymnast performs a pommel horse routine underwater . No word yet on whether his photographs of athletes wearing clear plastic equipment and nothing else will be on view , but here ’ s hoping ! www . rericmcmaster . com www . lawndaleartcenter . org / events /# january17
2 . Catherine Colangelo : Talismanic at Cindy Lisica Gallery Houston artist Catherine Colangelo ’ s intimate gouache paintings were a standout at last fall ’ s Texas Contemporary Art Fair . Colangelo is inspired by sources as diverse as quilts , illuminated manuscript and Islamic miniatures . The exotic becomes universal in her work ’ s detailed patterns and rich colors . We challenge you not to love this stuff . www . cindylisicagallery . com
3 . Magdalena Fernández at the Cistern and Sicardi Gallery In addition to Magdalena Fernández ’ video installation Rain in the Cistern at Buffalo Bayou , Sicardi Gallery opens a show of the Venezuelan artist ’ s kinetic sculptures and never-before-seen drawings on January 12 . The exhibition will feature a large interactive installation that will fill Sicardi ’ s entire downstairs gallery – expect an elegant geometric structure that you can move into different configurations . It ’ s art you can touch . www . buffalobayou . org / visit / destination / the-cistern www . sicardi . com / artists / magdalena-fernandez / artists-artist-works
4 . Analia Saban at Blaffer Art Museum In the notes for this show , the Blaffer Museum at UH comments that Argentinian artist Analia Saban “ surveys art history as if it were a murder scene .” There is something a little dark and deadpan about this show ( and it only includes works she ’ s made in a limited palette of beige , white and black ), but there is also humor in her clever inversions of the expected . Above all , Saban is interested in paint as a sculptural material – here she ’ s poured it into sagging pouches that will take decades to dry ; there she ’ s laser-cut a thin , lacy layer of it ; elsewhere she ’ s cast it in the shape of a bath towel . www . blafferartmuseum . org / analia-saban
5 . The Front [ an artist collective ]: I Love America and America Loves Me at BOX 13 ArtSpace The Front is an artist-run space and collective in New Orleans . For this show , 18 artists will take over the entire Box 13 building in Houston ’ s East End with art and installations that “ examine the role of art and artists under the unfolding volatility of the Trump administration .” Fun !
The exhibition continues through March 4 , 2017 . An opening reception will be held on Saturday , January 28 , from 7 – 9pm at BOX 13 ArtSpace , 6700 Harrisburg , Houston , TX 77011 .
www . nolafront . org january 17 | LOCAL 33